Subtle Gestures
by MikazukiDreams
Summary: A light tap on the head. A crooked smile here and there. He changes, for her.


**Summary: **A light tap on the head. A crooked smile here and there. He changes, for her.

_**Standard disclaimer applies here**_

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**Subtle Gestures**

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_Take my hand and pull me down, fearless._

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He's a quiet, brooding kind of guy.

It's not hard to notice that on the first day of high school. His locker is a few down from mine, but he doesn't talk to me. He doesn't talk very much in general. He's dark and tall and handsome, with a strong jaw and a lean, muscular body, and dark, dark eyes that watch everything around him carefully, like he's analyzing everything in sight.

Girls like him, a lot. It's definitely not hard to, with _that _kind of face around. He rarely speaks to any of them, barely acknowledges them, except for this one girl. Karin, I think her name is?

Karin Momochi is very nice. She's startling polite, very pretty, and she's athletic as well. She's tall and slim, and her blazing red hair makes her unique rouge eyes and pale skin stand out brilliantly.

Next to her, I know I have no chance.

They're childhood friends, I hear from my classmates. He's well-known and familiar with her family, and she is with his, too. I don't know why, exactly, but I feel a pang of jealousy. I shouldn't feel this way, though. Why do I care for a guy who has never spoken to me?

But I do. I care a lot more than I think I should. Jealousy's an ugly, ugly thing…it's the green eyed beast, and I find that ironic, because _my _eyes are green. People compliment my eyes a lot. Now I wonder, are they green because they reflect the ugly jealousy of my heart?

I sure hope not.

-x-

Karin and I are friends. Maybe its chance or a mere coincidence, but she's in every single one of my classes and so is _he. _

And as creepy as this may sound, I _watch _him.

He moves elegantly, and talks in a velvety, deep baritone. It's soothingly and smooth, like just him. He's impossibly polite (just like Karin- that must be one of the reasons he likes her so) and up close, he's even more handsome, it that were possible.

His skin is very pale, and his eyes- his beautiful, obsidian eyes are bottomless and takes my breath away. His hair is jet black, styled in such a matter only _he _would be able to pull off. He has lovely high cheekbones, and there is not one ounce of baby fat- or any fat, for that matter- on his completely muscular figure.

He's beautiful- cold and dark but beautiful, like a fallen angel.

The other girls think that, too, as they stare and shamelessly, openly _ogle _him like a piece of meat (or whatever they eat these days. Meat's too fattening, they say) but I can tell by the proud way he carries himself that _he does not just take anyone. _He only takes the _best. _He takes the one his thinks is suitable for his tastes.

He sits beside her most of the time, and other times he sits beside his loud friend, Naruto. Naruto's a very nice boy. He's friendly and extremely funny, and there is always a bright, white smile stretched across his tanned face. His cerulean eyes are beautiful and always sparkle when he laughs. Naruto's the kind of boy that can make anyone smile just by looking at them.

It intrigues me, how Naruto and _he _are best friends. They're on different sides of the spectrum, from different _worlds_, almost, but somehow, someway, they've come together.

They're an interesting bunch.

-x-

It's only a few weeks into the school year when I finally get to speak with them. We're placed into a group, Naruto and him and I, and I'm nervous and shy and I feel my face _burn _when _he _looks at me with those dark, dark eyes of his, like he's reading me- like he's looking right into my soul.

Teamwork, we're learning, with our new leader Kakashi. The purpose is to have everyone feel comfortable with everyone else, because this is high school and this is reality and even if you have a great crew, you can't _always _be with them.

Naruto is so friendly. The moment we sit down, he exclaims, "Hi! Can I call you Sakura-chan?" And when I laugh, he flashes a brilliant, mega-watt smile, and it makes me smile, too.

_He, _on the other hand, is different. He watches me carefully with his observant eyes, muttering a brief introduction of himself, and then turns away. It kinda hurts when he does that, turning me away and ignoring me like _I'm not good enough. _Like I'm not worth his attention, like there's no reason to listen to what I have to say. This isn't what teamwork should be.

I'm upset, but then I remind myself that he's like this to everybody (except Naruto and pretty Karin) and that it's not just me.

I try to ignore the tiny, urging voice in my head whispering, '_You're not good enough for him'._

-x-

Normal people usually adapt and become familiar with one's company after being around them for an extended period of time.

But with _him, _normal doesn't apply.

What I thought would last for a few days lasted for _weeks. _Week after week, he ignored me like I was no good, talking to Naruto only and speaking with Karin when she walked by. I tried and tried and tried, but he didn't show the slightest bit of interest in what I had to say. Never worked with me like we were supposed to, never treated me like a team member. It hurt me more than anything, having respected him since I first laid eyes on him, but now, I see who he truly was.

He was an arrogant little _prick _who thought he was above everyone else. He was an ass and a jerk and I feel _anger _more than anything else when I see his face, imagine him in my mind.

So one day, I snapped.

-x-

Somewhere between me hissing 'you arrogant jerk' and 'if you don't want to work with me, just _say _so!' I finally saw his facial expression change into something besides nonchalance and arrogance.

His onyx eyes widened a fraction, and he looked absolutely taken aback.

Apparently nobody has ever talked to him that way before- ever.

Well, today it all changed.

-x-

I really damaged his pride, I could tell. Every time he would look my way, he would glare at me or quickly look away angrily. But I didn't care. I didn't care anymore.

He was no longer my Prince Charming, my second half, whatever it may be. I no longer daydreamed about him, nor did I make up false, shallow encounters with him in my wild imagination. He no longer held that higher power over me anymore. Now, he was just another boy in the crowd, another memory in the past.

I learn you should never linger in the past.

So I square my shoulders, I look ahead, and I move on.

-x-

It's been six months since I really paid him any attention. It's been six months since I even bothered _looking _his way. I liked it that way. I didn't want to see him anymore.

But, of course, the Fates had to mess it up. Karma just had to prove she was a bitch. And, again, our paths crossed.

I sigh loudly and proceed to my seat next to _him. _

-x-

I'm expecting something really bad. I shift my chair to the very edge of my desk, and it's clear to everyone that I am uncomfortable sitting beside this boy who hurt me so much.

Somewhere deep inside my heart, though, I'm grateful. I'm grateful because he's made me stronger. Taught me not to rely on little girl fantasies and all that other bullshit that will get you nowhere in life. Taught me that there is no such thing as perfection in this crazy, screwed up world, and that we're all just a band of misfits.

As soon as the bell rings, I snatch my books up inelegantly (but frankly, I don't give a damn) and I bolt for the door.

I don't bother looking at his face. I don't bother acknowledging his presence. Not anymore.

-x-

It's been two days since our new seating arrangement, and it's also been six weeks and two days since I even bothered looking at his damned (handsome as ever, gorgeous) face.

It starts off as any day. I move my chair away from him, sit on the very edge of my desk like he's a contagious virus that I'm deathly afraid of, and I suffer through the whole class, pointedly avoiding his serious gaze on my pale face. It takes everything, every ounce of willpower not to blush as I feel his dark gaze rake over my face.

But today, when the bell rings, when I'm about to escape the suffocating _torture _of being around a boy I used to adore so much, a warm hand grabs my wrist, sending up shocks through my body.

My eyes shoot up, glaring at the person holding me so tight, and I let out an angry hiss when I see who it is.

It's _him. _

Before I can speak, before I can even open my mouth and shoot of nasty, nasty words at him, his smooth voice stops me first.

"I'm sorry," he says, and it sounds so genuine that I want to believe him, but why should I? He humiliated me and crushed me and he made me feel _worthless, _and even though it's been six months and two days the cut opens up, fresh and burning as if I received it yesterday.

I turn away angrily, because who does he think he is? Ignoring me and crushing me and hurting me and now apologizing? For what, out of pity?

"I'm really sorry about before," he said hurriedly, like he had to get it all out. "I'm…I'm not comfortable around new people. Naruto and Karin are old friends of mine, and I'm more familiar with their presence. I do realize, though," he continued, "that the way I've treated you was wrong of me. I'm sorry."

I lower my eyes to the ground, because I can't meet his gaze just yet. Should I crumble and let him break through my carefully constructed barricades? Should I stand strong and walk away? I don't know which would be harder, or which would be easier.

"Please accept my apology," he says, bowing his head slightly. And for the first time in months, I look at him. I mean, really look at him.

He looks tired, his jet black hair (usually styled so nicely) was messy, and he kept running his free hand agitatedly through his messy tresses. There are purple bags under his dark eyes, clearly visible on his pale skin.

Clearly, he had lost lots of sleep. For this, maybe? The exhausted look he gives me confirms it.

"Fine," I sigh, looking at him.

His face visually brightens, and to my absolute _horror, _my heart races at the sight of that. He releases my wrist, and steps back a little.

Sticking out his hand to me, he smiles crookedly- the first smile I have ever seen on his face- and an embarrassingly red blush heats my cheeks.

"It seems we haven't introduced ourselves properly," he says, and smiles a little wider when I grasp his warm hand, "Hello. I'm Sasuke Uchiha."

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**Note: **No clue where this came from. It kind of wrote itself, actually. One minute I'm studying for my chemistry and then this idea comes to mind and bam! it types itself on the computer. This Sasuke here kinda reminds me of Mr. Darcy (Pride and Prejudice, for those who don't know- GO READ IT, it's the best), reading back to it. Hm. Thinking of English when I should be doing chem, but whatever. You can tell my attention span is just great.

Anyways, let me know what you think! I love hearing from each and every one of you. :)

-A


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